Penguins/Transcript
Transcript Text reads: The Mysteries of Life with Tim and Moby A boy, Tim, and a robot, Moby, are at a zoo. Through a glass wall, they observe a penguin splash down into the water and swim around. TIM: Do you think they know they're indoors? Moby taps on the glass. Tim stops him while a zoo security guard observes them. TIM: Uh, let's... let's have that letter. Tim reads from a typed letter. TIM: Dear Tim and Moby, Are penguins only found at the South Pole? From, Wellington. TIM: Nope. Penguins live all over the southern hemisphere, including: Antarctica, New Zealand, South America, southern Africa, and the Galapagos Islands. A word map shows the Southern Hemisphere and highlights the areas Tim names. TIM: Penguins are aquatic birds, so they live along coastlines, mostly in large colonies. An animation shows a colony of penguins on an iceberg. One of them jumps into the water. TIM: All seventeen species of penguin have black-and-white bodies, but they're not identical. Fiordland penguins have bushy, yellow eyebrows. An animation shows the Fiordland Penguin. It's also called Eudyptes parchyrhynchus. TIM: Emperor penguins are usually more than a meter tall. The animation shows an Emperor penguin knocking down the shorter Fiordland penguin with its flap. The Emperor penguin is also called Aptenodytes forsteri. TIM: Penguins are birds, but they can't fly. An animation shows a penguin watching birds flying. MOBY: Beep? Penguins (/science/diversityoflife/penguins/) TIM: Well for one thing, their bones are solid, which makes them too heavy. An animation shows a penguin and an interior view of a solid bone, and a bird and an interior view of a hollow bone. TIM: Penguins are great swimmers, though. An animation shows a penguin swimming behind a school of fish. TIM: Their wings have evolved into flippers that help them maneuver in the water. The animation shows the penguin's flipper. TIM: Like other aquatic birds, penguins have webbed feet. The animation shows the penguin's feet. TIM: Since they spend most of their time in the water, that's where they feed off of fish, mollusks, and crustaceans. An image shows these sea animals. TIM: Penguins eat all of these things while swimming along. An animation shows a penguin following a school of fish then eating one of the fish. MOBY: Beep? TIM: No, they don't have fur beneath their outer layer to keep warm, but many species have adapted a sort of insulation for cold weather. Their squat bodies keep a minimum of surface area exposed to the air, and they have a layer of thick fat, and their short, stiff feathers keep them warm and waterproof. An animation shows a penguin sitting on an iceberg. TIM: But remember, not all penguins live in the cold; the Galapagos Islands are close to the equator, and New Zealand is pretty mild. An animation shows a penguin sitting on a beach. MOBY: Beep? TIM: It's true; penguins seem like they'd be pretty easy pickings for hungry predators. Their stubby legs make them pretty clumsy on land, and they can't fly away. An animation shows a penguin wiggling and falling, attempting to get away from a hungry wolf. TIM: That's why they live in isolated environments, without a lot of land predators. An animation shows a colony of penguins on an iceberg. One of them jumps into the water. TIM: Their main enemies are killer whales and leopard seals, both of which attack in the water. An animation shows a swimming penguin, a leopard seal, and a killer whale. TIM: But penguins have black backs and white bellies, creating something called countershading. When they swim, their black backs blend in with the water below, protecting them from predators above. Side by side images show the back of the penguin blending into the water, and the leopard seal looking down at the penguin and just seeing black. TIM: Looking into the sun, predators below the penguin see the white belly as part of the water. Side by side images show the whale looking up at the penguin and just seeing white, and the underside of the penguin blending in with the water. TIM: So that black and white is actually camouflage. Side by side images show the images of the penguin blending into the water from above and below. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Right, they're fast swimmers, too. An animation shows the penguin, seal, and killer whale swimming at the same speed. Then the penguin zooms ahead of the other two. TIM: Both penguin parents contribute to the care of the children. Male penguins even help incubate the eggs. An image shows a male penguin incubating an egg. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Well, you don't have to get all mushy about it. That's just what they're evolved to do. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Oh, okay, okay, it's cute, you happy now? MOBY: Beep. Category:BrainPOP Transcripts Category:BrainPOP Science Transcripts